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2009-07-01 - Mad World
There is a knock at the penthouse door. A rather excited knock, at that. On the other side of the door- Mia. Wait, why is Mia knocking at the door. It's not like she doesn't have a key. Also, why has she seemingly done away with the Speedy suit, opting instead for an armored leather getup. She's gotten a haircut too, apparently. And- is that a tattoo peeking out from under her wrist guard? Hoo boy. Ollie just recently got home from work. His dogs are barking, and he'd like nothing more than to curl up in front of the television with some alcohol and relax. Then there's that knock. Great. There's a groan, one of those 'I'm getting old' sort of groans as Ollie moves to answer the door. It had better not be another Jehova's witness. He's going to need to have a serious talk with that doorman of his. As he peers through the peep-hole, Ollie sees a young woman - that he doesn't entirely recognize. This had better not be another one of Mia's tricks, like when Carol showed up that one day... Although he did rather enjoy that. So, he opens the door, only a little, so that only his face is seen on the other side. "Yeah?" Comes out in a rather inprompt manner in her direction. "Ollie?" it's Mia's voice, most definitely- and there's a strange mix of emotions in it, at that. She pulls off the sunglasses she's wearing in place of a mask so that her face can be seen. "You're-" she cuts herself off. "Can you let me in? Please?" there's a touch a pleading tone to the question. She looks older, though that could just be the outfit. And the hair. There's a blink from Ollie's end. While the young woman sounded like Mia, he had no idea who she was and how she knew his name. Oy, paranoia! He eyes her, scrutinizes her appearance and costume, even the hair cut. Maybe it was a friend of Mia's? The tone in her voice causes any doubt within his mind to quiet down though. Despite all the horrid shit he's been through with this family, he wasn't one to turn away someone who could possibly be in need. So, after a minute a doubt, he allows her entry into the apartment. "You're gonna tell me who you are within the next five seconds, or I'm kicking your ass back outta here," he warns the woman. At least he's not counting though. As she comes in, it's even more evident that she's dressed for... well. Battle. Cross bows, not entirely unlike the ones Hunress uses are holstered on each leg, and she carries a heavy looking bag about the right size to be holding a very large bow and quiver. "It's me, Ollie. Mia. Sort of," she says in a quiet, shakey voice. "It's- I- there's no way to explain this without sounding crazy. But I never thought-" she stops again. It's pretty obvious she's trying to stop herself from crying. As she speaks, Ollie remains quiet. He doesn't really know what to say. Mia? No way. When the hell did she find a getup like that? His arms cross in front of his chest, showing that he doesn't exactly believe her right now, and he's trying to look intimidating - but her voice, the shakiness in it, doesn't exactly allow the anger to stick. "You're Mia?" He questions simply. "You expect me t' believe that you're my kid? Listen, Lady, I've put up with enough shit from people trying their crap on my family. You wanna pretend that you're my kid so you can then pull out whatever little goodies are in your bag and you can try to start a ransom, hold me hostage, or start some scene for the capes and masks to get involved... Well, thats clever and all..." His eyes darken a bit. "But I ain't going down without a fight." She goes to say something, but decides against it. She kicks the bag away from both of them, removes the crossbows from their holsters and throws them on the floor. She takes off the wrist guards she has on, which, once they're removed, reveal throwing knives hidden in them. They get tossed aside too. The protective vest portion of her uniform is removed next, leaving her in a plain tank top. She's got a healthy collection of battle scars- and some old and faded ones identical to those worn by her younger self. "Mia Dearden. I was born April 7th, 1992. I ran away from home before my thirteenth birthday, and I was pulling tricks within two months because my so-called boyfriend, Richard convinced me to do it. He was ten years older then me. I was fifteen when you pulled that guy off of me, but it was two days before I showed up at the youth center," she says, holding her arms out so that he can see that she's not reaching for any weapons. The tattoos are more visible- two symbols, idental in everything but colour. Arrowheads. One green, one red. Each with dates beneath it. "I don't want anything, Ollie. I just needed to see you. Where I'm from you-" she stops, taking a breath. "Both you, and Roy, you died." The disarming helps to put Ollie at ease to a degree. At least now he can see if she's going to pull anything - although if she really wanted to, there could be something else hiding... As she speaks of a truth and past that only very few know, an amount that can be counted possibly on a single hand, his demeanor shifts. It shifts even more when he sees the tattoos upon her wrists, of the arrowheads. It takes him back a moment, seeing not only the death date for himself, but of Roy, whom he just reconsiled with on this world. He frowns, not able to pull his gaze from those tattoos, even as he asks in a low and hesitant tone, "And Connor?" His own (and only known) flesh and blood, of course it'll be one of the first things he'd ask about. "He's alive," she says. "He's with the Justice League. Or what's left of it," she tells him. "You kept him off the front lines. That's the only reason any of us are still around. They didn't want the kids involved." She looks down for a moment. "Only a handful survived- and they were in no shape to keep going afterwards," she continues. "We kinda had to grow up and... well. Take your places," she tells him, looking back up at him. And doing that just seems to break something- she's crying now. Something she promised herself she wouldn't do. With Ollie being a woman within the last few weeks or so, he doesn't feel as though this woman is lying to him. The mention of Connor being safe relieves him a bit, and the Justice League bit even causes a small amount of pride to hit him - but it doesn't last long. The moment he sees Mia starting to cry, the man's face shifts, causing him to frown. "C'mere," he offers in a gentle manner before attempting to pull her close and into a hug. Of course, being that this is a different Mia, this could be a wrong move - but Ollie doesn't know that. "Sit down, make yourself comfortable," he tries to change the subject. "You want something to drink?" She looks like she could be legal drinking age. Maybe? She falls into the hug, holding on tightly to him, as if afraid she might shift away and lose the chance. Which is, of course, a possibility. She recovers herself fairly well though- years of practice of keeping up that aloof exterior. "I really would, but I'm told I could be sent right back at any time," she tells him. "I was on duty, with the Titans. Nothing was happening right then, but... you never know." She bites her lip nervously, before delivering the really bad news. "While I'm here... your Mia is over there. In my world. Robin's trying to figure out how to get me back faster, if possible, but..." she trails off, running a hand through her hair. "She'll be safe, the others will see to that. But I doubt she's having much fun." "She's - there?" Ollie asks, almost echoing her words so they stick within his mind, because he wasn't sure he just heard her correctly. "Without me, Roy, or --" He trails off as a thought comes to him, one that he /really/ doesn't want to think about, but it quickly starts to nag at the back of his mind. Even as he downs the rest of his liquor in that glass within his hand, the thoughts don't shut up. There's a pause of silence before he asks in a tone that almost sounds as though he'll be sick from hearing the answer, "Dinah?" Its all he can get out, not even the full question, but its pretty sure what he's implying by that one word alone. The fact that Mia will be with Robin makes him unsure if he should be happy about that fact or not. He doesn't argue it though. He then sighs while glancing away, and mutters, "Why couldn't she just turn into a boy?" Realizing his words - and that this Mia would probably have no idea what he's talking about, he shakes his head and offers, "Nevermind... Long story." "In the heavily secured headquarters of one of the world's biggest organization of superheroes," she assures him. "If anyone tries to get to her, they'll have to go through Wonder Girl, Robin, Batgirl, Superboy and about a dozen other capes and masks," she tells him. Then pauses a beat, "and the Robin in my world is involved with Spoiler. So no worries on that front either. I don't date," she tells him. "Robin told me he and Speedy are... close." The silence when asking about Dinah drives Ollie to think that she's gone as well. And with her comments about Robin, he rolls his eyes. "At least /one/ version of you is smart enough not to date." The man then shrugs a bit. "Eh, kinda. Stupid teenage sidekick fling. Hardly know each other outside of their costumes. She's got me and Roy always tailing her, and he's got the Bat keepin' tabs. Nothing serious..." Pause. "But, she may end up crushing on your Robin, and saying something really stupid." Again, Ollie falls quiet before he offers her, "Y'know, you should probably see Roy too, before its too late and you're forced back. You even know how you got here? Was there a device, or some signal?" "It's not that, just that there are- complications," she says with a wave of her hand. "He seems to care about her, judging by how he talks about her. I think I kinda threw him through a loop," she says of Robin. "And I'd really like to see Roy again," she says. "If it's possible." She pauses for a long moment before adding, "you both died heroes, just so you know. Dinah was one of the ones that survived, she saw him..." there's a wave of her hand as she finds the words a little too difficult to form. "She took it hard." Ollie nods as he listens to this strange different version of his daughter speak. With a jut of his chin and a polite nudge, he offers, "C'mon and sit down." Obviously this is all a lot for her, and he doesn't want to add any pressure or pain to it. "Y'sure you don't want a drink? Even non-alcoholic?" He'd not like to be a rude host, especially when this is so delicate of a situation. "Coffee would be good," she says at the offer, lowering herself into a seat. "I'm sorry that this has happened... it can't be easy for you," she apologizes. "I mean, it's not exactly... something I'd chose. But just seeing you again is... kind of amazing, really." With a nod, Ollie disappears into the kitchen and starts brewing up some coffee for her. While there, he calls out, "You couldn't help it," in one of those nervously quick fashions. "As long as my Mia's safe, thats all I can ask for." After a few minutes, he returns and hands a coffee cup over to her. This is just a little weird, and Ollie's feeling at a loss for words right now. What exactly do you say to your daughter - that isn't your daughter from this timeline? So, the silence lingers on his end for a bit, as he's undoubtedly lost in thought, but then he asks, "You got a place to stay? In case this ends up being longer than you think?" "I'm sure I can find somewhere," she says, taking the cup, and a few sips from it. She drinks it black, apparently. "I've got some cash on me, and prettymuch everything I need-" she starts to say, then holds up a hand "hold that thought." And then she's crouching down by the bag she dropped earlier, pulling out her quiver- inherited from her world's Roy, judging by how many other weapons besides arrows that it seems to accomodate-, and is digging through a pocket at the side. Pill bottles. "Yeah, I should be good for... about a week and a half," she says after a quick inventory check. "You know, you could always bunk here if you need to. No trouble at all." Ollie offers. "I may have company over at times, and it'll be hard to--" He gets cut off as he sees her walk back towards her bag and pull out something that distinctly looks like a bottle of some medication. A curious eyebrow arches upwards, and he really can't help himself. "What's that for?" "Guess I could stay in... well. My room," she jokes, closing up the pocket, with the pill bottles inside it. "Long as the other me doesn't have boy band posters up all over the place," much like the 'normal' Mia, she seems to rely a lot on humour as a coping mechansim. She hesitates when he asks about the pills. "You sure you wanna know? You... won't like the answer too much, I can garuntee that." "No boy bands up there, I promise. Maybe a stupid note from Robin hidden in her dresser or under the bed, but that's it." When she mentions the pills, he gives her another curious glance. Oh, now the friggin' cogs are spinning at what those pills could be for. Addiction. A horrid injury she's had. Maybe she's on the pill? Ollie nods. "Better to tell me than let my mind start wandering." To emphasize, he taps the side of his temple. "They're anti-retrovirals," she says, avoiding his gaze- there's a distinct feeling of deja vu for her, thinking back to the first time she told Ollie- /her/ Ollie, about the blood test results. "I'm guessing that me and your Mia had a few different events. A client she never had... maybe a needle she never shared. Funny how little things make such a big difference. I tested positive when I was sixteen." "Anti-wha--?" Ollie starts. As she explains in that beating around the bush manner, he blinks. He doesn't seem to get it, or want to get it, maybe. "Positive?" He asks. Well, now that could mean anything, really - and FOR anything. His mind just isn't clicking to the right thing, that she just explained, so there's a rather dumbfounded expression upon his face right now. "I have HIV," she says, bluntly. "I'm really well off though. My T-cell count is high, my viral load is almost nonexistant, I'm in great shape, and the medications are working for me without too many side effects," she tells him. "It's just sort of... been a part of my life for a while now. And I manage not to break in to song and dance routines in SoHo." Again with the humour. "You have wha--?" This time its over the actual word of what she has that causes his jaw to go slightly agape. Obviously, it could have easily happened with her history - if its similar to his Mia's. But, seriously? He's quiet, just sitting there for a moment, staring at her, like he's unsure he actually heard her correctly. "You have AIDS?" He asks, incorrectly at that. Give him a break though, its hard to hear that your daughter, alter-universe or not, has something as severe as HIV - and then try to realize how LUCKY he is that his own version of Mia doesn't have it. "How? ..." Stupid question. "When? ..." Another stupid question. "I'm sorry." Its all he can sum it up with. "HIV," she corrects, gently. "It hasn't progressed to AIDS... and hopefully it won't anytime soon. Right now, I'm fine, as long as I take the pills when I need to. "I don't know the how or the when, to be honest," she admits. "At least, not exactly. I've got a few good guesses, but there's really no way to know now," she says with a shrug. "But my prognosis is pretty good, I've always had the best drugs available. You don't have to be sorry, Ollie." She smiles a little, "I couldn't have asked for someone more supportive than you and Connor and- well. Everyone." Category:Logs